Tonight, Kristin talks with Patty Crane about Patty’s new book, Bright Scythe, a translation of Tomas Tranströmer’s poetry. A poet herself, she learned Swedish while living in Sweden, and worked directly with Tranströmer on some of her translations before he passed away earlier this year. Tonight, Kristin and Patty discuss the process of translation, what went into publishing this lush edition, and what’s next for Patty.

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Patty Crane’s book reviews, essays and award-winning poetry have been published in numerous journals and anthologies. Her translations of Tomas Tranströmer’s poetry have appeared or are forthcoming in The New York Times Magazine, the PEN Poetry Series, American Poetry Review, Blackbird, New Ohio Review, Poetry Daily, and elsewhere. She lives in the Berkshires.

Tomas Tranströmer (born Stockholm, Sweden, 1931) was a Swedish writer, poet, and translator, whose poetry has been translated into over sixty languages. Regarded as one of the most important European and Scandinavian writers since World War II, critics have praised Tranströmer’s poems for capturing the long Swedish winters, the rhythm of the seasons, and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature. He was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Literature. He died March 26, 2015, at the age of eighty-three.

Late Night Library was a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to sustaining book culture, promoting literature in schools and communities, and supporting a diverse array of writers early in their careers. The organization dissolved in June 2017. The website is maintained as a public service.